Français (France) 
Nederlands (nl-NL) 00:00 • intro | 00:36 • in the tea fields | 01:39 • a Franciscan church
Personal creation from visual material collected during my trip India • South India • Tamil Nadu and Kerala (2018)
Map of places or practices featured in the video
• Use the markers to explore the content •
the kingdom of Tranvancore
Much of the present state of Kerala as well as the far south of Tamil Nadu once formed the Kingdom of Tranvancore (also called the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor. The Kingdom of Tranvancore was one of the most powerful kingdoms in southern India. Tranvancore's troops won a decisive battle in the war between Tranvancore and the Dutch occupier, the Battle of Colachel. This victory was very important from a symbolic point of view, as it was the first demonstration that a power well-organized Asia could overcome European technology and military tactics.
Peermade
The Maharajahs of Travancore had chosen this small mountain town for their summer residence. Peermade was at the time in the center of a wooded massif, difficult to access and especially Peermade was the highest point in altitude on the road between Travancore and Madurai.
It is a region conducive to the cultivation of tea. Currently, a fairly strong trend in Kerala, and therefore also in Peermade, is the organic cultivation of spices. Especially pepper, ginger and turmeric.
Christianity in Kerala
According to a local tradition, the apostle Thomas would have arrived in the south of India in 52 to evangelize the populations. This tradition cannot be verified, but it is a fact that Christianity has been installed in this part of the world since time immemorial, prior to the Chirstianization of much of Europe. The Christianity of Kerala was of Eastern obedience, and the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century favored the rapprochement between the Syriac churches of southern India with Rome. It is the origin of the current Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. Obviously, this rapprochement was not made in a natural way and we can trust the Portuguese invaders to have been able to convince (often by force) the Eastern Christians of Kerala to approach the Roman church.
Still, there are many Christian churches in this part of India today.
The church in this film is that of Pattumala, a few kilometers from Peermade. It is a church that belongs to the Franciscan order. This church is built in the middle of the tea fields and the name Pattumala means "hill draped in silk".
Links to related pages
• Monuments •
Peermade • Kerala, Franciscan Church - Franciscan Legacy and Harmony
Videos
• Kerala •
about the place, Peermade:
Peermade is a hill station in Kerala in southern India. Peermade is located in a very fertile region and the production of coffee, tea, coconut and cardamom was predominant until very recently.
Agriculture seems to be taking a new direction: the organic cultivation of pepper, ginger and turmeric.
Kerala has retained an important Christian influence. This Franciscan church bears witness to this.
Music:
- - YouTube video library - At Launch, (© At Launch by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100539
- Artist: http://incompetech.com/)
Disclaimer: Despite its appropriateness, copyright issues prevent the use of indian traditional music in "Peermade, Franciscan church • Kerala, India", hence the use of royalty-free music. Despite our careful selection, some might regret this decision, which is necessary to avoid potential lawsuits. Although difficult, this decision is the only viable solution.
